Maserati’s Trident Centenary Becomes a Three-Part Italian TV Series
Maserati and RAI Documentari have produced a three-part television series tracing the first 100 years of the Trident emblem through the people, cities, racing programs and road cars that shaped the Italian brand. “The Century of the Trident” is scheduled for Rai 2 on October 11, 18 and 25, 2026, at 2 p.m. in Italy, with streaming availability on RaiPlay.
Three cities frame the story
The series moves from Bologna to Rome and then Modena rather than presenting a simple list of vehicle launches. Maserati says the production uses the emblem as a thread connecting mechanical innovation, motor racing, Italian design and the social history surrounding the company.
The first episode returns to Bologna, where Società Anonima Officine Alfieri Maserati was founded in 1914. Mario Maserati, the brother who pursued art rather than automotive engineering, drew inspiration for the Trident from the Fountain of Neptune in the city’s Piazza Maggiore.
The emblem’s racing debut came in 1926
The Tipo 26 was the first car to wear the Trident. Alfieri Maserati drove it in the Targa Florio on April 25, 1926, taking a class victory and finishing eighth overall. That event is why the company is marking the emblem’s centenary in 2026 even though the business itself is older.
Motorsport remains an important part of the documentary. Its historical arc extends from the Targa Florio through Maserati’s Formula 1 period and later international racing programs, using competition as a way to explain how the company built its performance identity.
Rome covers the Gran Turismo years
The Rome episode focuses on Maserati’s shift from a specialist racing name into a symbol of Italian grand touring during the postwar economic boom and La Dolce Vita era. The program uses period imagery and stories connected with well-known owners including Marcello Mastroianni and Audrey Hepburn.
That period helped establish the formula Maserati still promotes: long-distance comfort combined with sports-car performance and distinctive Italian styling. The series is a manufacturer-backed cultural project, not an independent technical review of the company or its cars.
Modena brings the story to the present
The final part turns to Modena, where Maserati moved in 1939 and opened its Viale Ciro Menotti plant on January 1, 1940. The site remains the company’s headquarters. The documentary also visits the Museo Maserati – Collezione Umberto Panini, whose collection preserves rare road and racing cars from the brand’s history.
Participants include Ettore Maserati, grandson of a company co-founder; collection custodian Matteo Panini; former racing-department employee Ermanno Cozza; racing advisor Andrea Bertolini; automotive journalist Carlo Cavicchi; and photographer Rino Barillari. Their recollections give the program a human focus alongside the cars and industrial milestones.
Where viewers can watch
RAI plans to broadcast the three episodes on consecutive Sundays—October 11, 18 and 25—at 2 p.m. on Rai 2. Maserati says the series will also be available through RaiPlay. The announcement did not confirm international television distribution or whether RaiPlay access will be available outside Italy.
For readers interested in Italian automotive heritage, Chiefs Review recently reported on Turin’s Heritage Hub opening for FAI Autumn Days, another October event centered on preserved vehicles and industrial history.
Sources and image credit
Primary source: Maserati and Stellantis Media announcement, October 9, 2026. Featured image: licensed Unsplash archive photo of a Maserati Trident emblem by MiguelPhoto. It is an illustrative archive image, not a still from the television series.